Promise Me
by Meadowcreek
Summary: Gus's eyes lingered on the cut on Shawn's lower lip... a fanfic about young Shawn and Gus, theres not nearly enough of thoughs out there. I know, you know, i dont own Psych.
1. Promise is a Promise

By the time Gus saw it coming, it was to late. The boys fist connected with his cheek, sending a red hot burst of pain rushing up his face. He fell backwards, hurting his tailbone. The other kid laughed, advancing toward him.

"Hey!" there was an angry bark and both Gus and the other kid turned to gawk. Shawn was storming toward them, obviously having seen the whole thing.

Shawn was tall for being in the seventh grade, and strong. He had hit a growth spurt and seemed to be getting taller and stronger by the day. His green eyes blazed with fire. He walked straight over to Gus and helped him up. Then he strode over to the other kid and got in his face.

"Hey!" he repeated, "who do you think you are to be beating on my brother?" he yelled.

Gus shocked, stood silent and motionless.

"You and him? Brothers? Yeah right!" he laughed again. The next events where a blur.

Shawn hauled off and decked the other boy, then jumped on top of him and began beating him. A crowd gathered, eyes brimming with blood lust as the watched the two twelve year olds writhe on the grass in a shrieking punching ball.

Shawn fought his way to were he had the other kid pinned down on his back. He delivered on more solid punch before releasing him and standing up, wiping blood from his bottom lip.

"If I ever find out you lay a _finger_ on him again, it'll be ten time worse, got it?" he spat.

The boy cradled his face in his hands and a bloody nose mingled with the tears that streamed down his face. He nodded wordlessly.

Shawn turned to Gus.

"Your bleeding," Gus whispered, looking at the cut on Shawn's bottom lip.

"Its nothing," Shawn shrugged and threw his backpack back over his shoulder. "So are you."

Gus lifted his hand and delicately touched his cheek. Sure enough, he felt the warm liquid against his fingertips.

"Here," Shawn dug around in his pocket, then pulled out a Band-Aid and handed it to his best friend.

"But your bleeding," Gus repeated, pointing at Shawn's lip.

"Its just a split lip. I'll put something on it when we get home." He pushed it into Gus's palm and started walking in the direction of his house. Gus, still in shock, hurried to catch up, trying to match his strides with Shawn's longer ones. He pressed the Band-Aid onto his cheek.

"You didn't have to do that." he mumbled.

"I know. But were buds, Gus. That's what you do for each other. Were like BFF's but closer, like…" he scrunched up his face as he tried to think of a word to describe them.

_Brothers?_ Gus offered silently.

"Brothers." Shawn decided. He stopped abruptly and looked at Gus.

"What?" Gus asked.

"Promise." Shawn held out his fist for a fist bump.

"Promise what?" Gus asked, confused.

"Promise we'll be friends forever." Shawn kept his fist out.

"Shawn… that's stupid…" Gus whined.

Shawn looked hurt. He dropped his fist and stared at the white tips of his Converse All Stars. Then Gus's eyes found the cut on Shawn's lip. He sighed.

"I promise."

Shawn's head jerked up and he grinned, "Great!" he exclaimed, happily. Gus smiled and shook his head. What an idiot. What an idiot he had for a brother.


	2. Pink is Pink

"Shawn," Shawn's father called, flipping the light on, "Shawn, Gus, time to wake up." Gus yawned and pushed the covers back. It was Saturday, but Henry insisted that they be awake before he left for work. Gus propped his head on his palms and peered over the edge of the bunk bed, knowing the show that was about to start. Yes, bunk bed.

When Henry and Shawn's mother had still been together they had invested in a bunk bed because of how much Gus stayed over.

Henry frowned, and yanked the blankets off of his son. Shawn let out a small wail and mumbled something that could vaguely be classified along the lines of English, before he rolled over an smushed his face into the wall. "Shawn!" Henry opened Shawn's blinds and let the bright morning light stream in. Gus blinked rapidly, then chuckled as Henry reached forward and grabbed Shawn's wrists.

"Shawn!"

"Don't jump…." Shawn mumbled, eyes still closed.

"Shawn!" Henry drug Shawn off of his bed, and the twelve year old landed on the floor with a loud thunk.

"Ow…" Shaw blinked open groggy eyes. Seeing his dad standing over him he murmured, "Hey, dad, what are you doing in here?"

Gus laughed and jumped down, landing lightly on the floor next to them. Henry shook his head at his son, "I'm going to work. You boys gonna be ok?"

Gus and Shawn both rolled their eyes in unison and replied, "Of course,"

Henry smiled and ruffled each of their hair, "I'll see you later boys. Try to stay out of trouble."

"No promises!" Shawn yelled after his father and closed the door. Gus stretched, then sat down on the edge of Shawn's bed and began to pull on his shoes. Both the boys had slept in their clothes.

"Why not just sleep in our pajama's?" Gus had asked the night before.

"Because, Gus, it takes to long to get dressed. And besides, your pj's are pink!" Shawn wrinkled up his nose and tossed Gus his over-night bag so he could change into new clothes.

"Their salmon, Shawn!" Gus replied, agitated.

"And what color is salmon, exactly, Gus?" Shawn said in his know-it-all voice.

"Du-"

"Its pink." Shawn hadn't even let him finish.

"But-" Gus protested.

"_Pink_," Shawn intervened again. Gus sighed and snapped out of his flashback.

"Come on, buddy," Shawn was standing in the doorway, "Lets go!"

"I have to double knot my shoes, Shawn!"

"No you don't! What ever happened to just tying your shoes and running outside? Kids these days." Shawn shrugged and waited impatiently by the door.

"That's dangerous, Shawn! Your shoes could come untied while your running and cause you to trip and smash your face in. I happen to like my face." Gus finished tying the final knot and stood up ready to go.

"Yes, everyone loves your cocoa-colored-complexion. You could also smash in your face by annoying your best friend when we walk down the stairs."

Gus looked at Shawn suspiciously and made sure to walk at least two stairs behind him until they reached the bottom. Shawn flung the door open and raced outside, Gus on his heels. They had barely skidded out of the yard though, when three boys jumped out of nowhere and blocked their path.


	3. Payback Is Payback, more or less

"You just don't know when to stop, do you?" Shawn asked, green eyes blazing with fire. The boy, Tim, laughed, his swollen nose and black eyes causing him to wince in pain.

"I know when to stop, _you_ are the one who doesn't," He lunged forward and grabbed the back of Shawn's neck while the other two boys wrestled Gus to the ground.

"Hey!" Gus craned his neck from where one side of his face was smashed into the ground to stare in the direction of the voice.

A tall boy with black hair and blue eyes was walking toward them. Shawn writhed around on the ground before panting and laying still. The older kid was now standing in front of them.

"Let them up, you don't want to do this." his voice was calm but it didn't betray the anger brimming in his deep blue eyes.

"Yeah I do! They deserve it!" Tim said, crossing his arms. The other two boys held Gus and Shawn down.

"I said let them go," he repeated, voice laced with menace. He stepped up to Tim. He was taller and stronger. Time noticed this. He had a choice. Risk getting beat up two days in a row, or backing out and letting them go with some snide retort. He chose wisely.

"Good thing lanky here showed up, huh? Or you'd be running home to your mama's." he tossed his head at his two friends and they released Shawn and Gus grudgingly.

"Well, I don't have a mom so…" Shawn started but fell silent under the older kids gaze.

"Now, get lost." Tim and his friends didn't need to be told twice, they ran.

"Woo!" Shawn yelled then fist bumped with Gus, "woo!" he turned back toward the tall kid before they saw him walking down the street.

"Wait!" Shawn yelled skidding in front of him and blocking his path, "Where ya going?" the other kid looked at them.

"School," he said flatly.

"School on a Saturday? That's abheard!" Shawn exclaimed.

"Absurd, Shawn," Gus corrected.

"I've heard it both ways." Shawn stated, shrugging.

"It's a cop-in-training type of school," the boy explained, then attempted to walk around them.

"Well, at least tell us your name!" Shawn demanded and tipped his head.

"Whats it to ya?"

"You just saved us! I want to know our heroes name!"

Still suspicious the boy said formally, "Carlton. Carlton Lassiter." he held out a hand.

Shawn shook it roughly, causing Gus to laugh.

"Nice to meet you Carlton! I'm Shawn, and this is my best friend, Bill Bright-Outside!"

Gus stopped laughing and glared, "That's not my name, Shawn!"

Shawn closed his eyes in a frustrated manner and growled through gritted teeth, "I cant _do_ this with you right now!"

Carlton raised an eyebrow, confused by their exchange.

"I don't like that name. Carlton. I don't like it. Hmmm. I got it! Lassie!"

"What? Lassie?" Carlton sputtered.

"Yeah!" Shawn exclaimed enthusiastically, "You know, Lassiter, _Lassie_.

"Okay…" Carlton walked around them.

"See you after your school?" Shawn called after him.

"Nope," Carlton yelled over his shoulder.

"So that's a soft yes on 3:30?"

Carlton didn't say anything, just kept walking.

Shawn smiled good naturedly, "Alright, then! See you 'round, Lassie!"

**How many of you knew it was Lassie? :D Review! Review! Review!**


	4. Pain is Pain

Eighteen year old Carlton Lassiter sat at his desk in his room, hunched over his study sheet for his cop-in-training test tomorrow. His eyebrows were scrunched together, blue eyes scanning the paper for any useful information. Downstairs, his mother and step-father were arguing loudly. He ran his hands through his hair and tried to block out the sound of his step fathers' enraged voice. It got quiet for a few minutes, and Carlton let out a sigh of relief and turned his full attention back to his paper.

Suddenly the argument started back up again, louder this time, and he angrily flung his chair back and stomped over to his door that was opened a crack, about to slam it shut. There was a loud smack of someone's hand connecting with flesh, and his mother cried out in pain.

The next moment, blinded by a wave of rage, he was running as fast as he could down the stairs, flew around the corner, and saw his mother laying on the floor with his step dad beating on her.

"Get off my mom, Kurt!" Carlton roared, running and tackling the man. He landed a solid punch to Kurt's eye, before Kurt fought back. The mans fist connected with his lip, splitting it open and blood gushed out.

Carlton staggered backwards and Kurt sneered, "You want a beating too, kid?"

Carlton leaned against the counter top behind him, breathing heavily.

Kurt stepped toward him, "You really need to learn your place, Carlton! You should have let me teach your mother the lesson she needed to know."

Carlton fumbled around on the counter top and his finger tips grazed the blade of the knife he was looking for. He gripped it and held it out in front of him, pointed at Kurt, his face emotionless.

"I'd like to see you try," Carlton growled, pointing the knife directly at the man he hated most in his life.

Kurt laughed, "You don't have the guts, kid."

Carlton taking large, confident strides, stopped in front of his mom protectively. He took a deep breath letting his anger spill over.

"You sick bastard. Don't tempt me to kill you, because you have no idea _how quickly I would love plunge this knife into your cold heart!"_ he yelled, lunging toward Kurt.

Kurt staggered backwards, eyes wide. He tripped and landed on his back, staring with terror at his furious stepson.

He had to control himself. He had to. If he killed this poor excuse of a man, his career would be thrown away. He closed his eyes briefly, then murmured softly under his breath.

"W-what?" Kurt stammered.

"Give me your keys, and get the hell out." Carlton repeated loudly.

Kurt looked hurt, "Now, son, listen-"

"I said, _give me your keys and get the hell out!_" he yelled forcefully, pointing the large knife toward Kurt.

Kurt stood, fury in his eyes. He dug in he pocket, and dropped his keys into the palm of Carlton's hand.

"This isn't over." he snarled.

"If you ever come back, I'll kill you." Carlton replied in lucid voice.

Kurt cast him a glance, looked as though he was going to protest again, but clearly thought better of it. Carlton followed him to the door, and locked it behind him. His step father drove away, leaving Carlton trembling with rage. After several deep breaths, he wiped blood from his split lip and walked back into the kitchen to his mother.

She was still laying on the floor in shock, bruises already forming in her face and arms. Carlton knelt down and gently touched her arm.

"Mother?" he murmured, voice soft with concern.

His mother snapped around to look at her son, her eyes glazed. She looked at his broken lip, the blood still trickling out of it, then down at her bruised arms. She brought her hands up to her face and began to sob.

"Oh, Carlton! I'm so sorry! I thought he was the one! I thought he could be like the father you never had! Carlton, Carlton…." she sobbed.

He gently rubbed his mothers quaking shoulders. Then he drew her into a hug, arms wrapped protectively around her. She felt so small, and…defeated.

It was at that moment, Carlton wanted to do something very un-manly, like cry or beat on his pillow, but he had to be strong for his mother. Besides, his mother was crying enough tears for both of them.


	5. People are People

"Lassie!"

Carlton heard a familiar voice yell obnoxiously. He turned, and saw Shawn and Gus running over to him.

"What now?" he groaned, turning and glaring at them. Shawn squinted at Lassie through this brown hair then looked at Gus. They were both panting hard, as if they had just done the 40 yard dash.

"We almost missed him! See, Gus? If you had listened to me, we could have gone down Gull Way and met him way back there," he swung around and pointed down the street, "And we wouldn't have had to run!"

Gus frowned heavily at him then protested, "If we had gone down Gull Way we would have had to go through Old Man Authors backyard, and I am not doing that again after what happened last time, Shawn!"

"Please, that dog wasn't anywhere near biting your legs off!"

"He sicked his dog on us Shawn!"

"Will you guys just get to the point!" Carlton barked, losing his temper.

Shawn and Gus, unfazed, and exchanged a glance. Gus nodded and Shawn turned back to Lassie, arms crossed.

"Come with me," Shawn said after a moment of looking over his shoulder suspiciously.

"But I'm going to be late for school!" Carlton sputtered as Shawn and Gus both took one of his hands and stared leading him away.

"What we are about to ask you, is a limited addition offer." Gus said, his voice low.

Carlton raised a eyebrow.

Shawn glared then slapped Gus's arm, "I don't think we should."

"Why not?" Gus asked.

"Look at him! He's not worth it!" Shawn smirked, gesturing at Carlton. They both turned around, armed crossed.

Carlton was itching to know though, so he said quietly, "Tell me!"

Shawn turned on his heels and Gus turned slowly, "Excuse us for a second, Carlton," Gus said pulling Shawn aside. Whisper-bickering. Then they came back.

"Meet us in Fairmount woods. Tonight. Five thirty sharp. No exceptions. Be there." Shawn said. As Gus began to walk away, Shawn lingered behind. Then he looked Lassie up and down. He said softly so Gus could not hear, "What happened to your lip, Lassie?"

Carlton's hand shot up and he touched the scar. It had been a week since his fight with his step father, and the wound had long since healed. Only a faint, _very_ faint scar remained.

"I slipped and fell," he mumbled, not making eye contact.

Shawn held his hand up to his head then shook it, "No, I'm not seeing a fight with the floor, I'm seeing a fight with someone your close to. Or were." Shawn's hazel eyes scanned Lassie for any useful information, but he didn't have to.

"He hit my mother. I couldn't just stand there." Carlton told him, a fierce light in his eyes.

Shawn nodded, then slung his arm around Lassie shoulder, "Don't worry," he said light heartedly, "Your secret is safe with me!"


End file.
